Wilmington deploys 'stealth radar' boxes to track speeding

Saturday

Jun 1, 2013 at 4:44 PM

Next time you are speeding in Wilmington, a gray box could be surreptitiously tracking you.

By Julian MarchJulian.March@StarNewsOnline.com

Next time you are speeding in Wilmington, a gray box could be surreptitiously tracking you.The city has deployed a technology called stealth radar that measures the speed of vehicles. Unlike the city's traffic light cameras that issue tickets to red light runners, speeders won't get a ticket directly from stealth radar data.Instead, city officials want to use the technology to help combat speeding in neighborhoods. Here's how it works: The stealth radar box tracks the number of vehicles and their speed. Officials will analyze the results and look for patterns. If they can isolate specific times where speeding is at its worst, they will forward the information to police. Instead of a police officer waiting all day to write seven tickets, police can use the radar information to patrol for two hours and write the same number of tickets, said Don Bennett, the city's traffic engineer. The city has long had a neighborhood traffic management program. Initially, in the 1980s, it set a policy for lowering speed limits. By the early 1990s, the city was installing dozens of speed humps. But in 2003, the city stopped installing speed humps and refocused the program on solving area-wide traffic problems. In the following years, the city focused on finding short and long-term solutions to help slow traffic, including curb extensions or mini traffic circles. But after hard economic times, the program is unfunded. The money may have dried up, but the complaints about neighborhood traffic have not. The stealth radar, which costs between $3,000 and $3,500 per unit, is a cheaper tool. Meanwhile, the city recently spent about $30,000 to buy seven speed minder signs, which will be mounted under speed limit signs to show drivers how fast they are actually moving. The seven solar-powered signs cost about half of what one traffic island would cost, said Glenn Harbeck, the city's development services director, at a recent council meeting. "And we can affect many neighborhoods," Harbeck said.Harbeck said the signs also let residents know the city is doing something about speeding. Using stealth radar, Bennett said the city can assess whether the visible feedback signs encourage drivers to slow down."We want changed behavior," he said. So far, the city has two stealth radar units, but there are no plans to buy many more yet. Because they were only recently implemented, Bennett said he still wants to learn how effective they are.The technology is used elsewhere in North Carolina and across the country, said Randall Glazier, a city signs and markings engineer. He spoke with officials in other cities who said the radar works well and helps them pinpoint peak speeding days or times. In Wilmington, the radar has already been used on Hooker Road. Bennett said there is a growing list of neighborhood contacts that want the radar, which prompted them to get the second unit. In May, Police Chief Ralph Evangelous sent a letter about the radar to operators of area vehicle fleets, including taxis, delivery trucks and Wave Transit. Evangelous said the city has gotten more complaints about delivery and service vehicles speeding through residential areas.The chief said the radar will help the city accurately gauge the magnitude of the problem and target problem areas with repeat offenders. Evangelous encouraged the organizations to ask drivers to abide by neighborhood speed limits."We would rather not issue tickets if we don't have to," he said.